A YORK City football fan who was a prominent figure in the campaign to save the club from extinction is hoping to step into the shoes of former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Greg Stone, who is originally from York, is a Liberal Democrat candidate in the upcoming Sedgefield by-election.

Mr Blair announced he was quitting as an MP hours after stepping down as Prime Minister last month.

Mr Stone was well known in York when in 1999 he set up and lead Fans Against Craig's Tyranny (FACT), a controversial independent football supporters' group opposed to Douglas Craig, then chairman of York City.

When City faced financial meltdown in 2002, following Mr Craig's decision to sell the club and threaten the Minstermen with eviction from their Bootham Crescent home, Mr Stone played a prominent part in the Press-inspired Save City campaign and the Friends Of Bootham Crescent fans' pressure group.

In the General Election of 2001, Mr Stone stood for election as MP for the Vale of York, but lost out to Tory Ann McIntosh.

Mr Stone trailed in third behind Labour and the Tories, polling 9,799 votes compared with 25,033 votes for Miss Mcintosh.

In 2005's General Election, Mr Stone stood as the Lib Dem candidate in Newcastle upon Tyne Central.

He was runner-up to Labour, but increased the Lib Dem vote by 12 per cent.

Mr Stone will be hoping it will be third time lucky when he stands in Sedgefield, but is facing a diffcult task if he is finally to become a Member of Parliament - Labour's majority in 2005 was a whopping 18,457.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell spoke about the challenge while visiting the Sedgefield constituency with Mr Stone earlier this week. He said there was no such thing as a safe Labour or Conservative seat and that the Liberal Democrats were determined to cause an upset.

Sir Menzies said: "When we fight, we fight to win. Last year we won Dunfermline and West Fife, a constituency where Gordon Brown actually lives.

"Shortly afterwards we nearly won Bromley and Chislehurst - the 17th-safest Conservative seat in the country.

"I never make predictions, but whenever there is a Parliamentary by-election we fight to win.

"There are no safe Labour or Conservative seats or glass ceilings as far as the Liberal Democrats are concerned.

"We have shown in the past that we can do very well in very difficult situations."

Mr Blair had represented Sedgefield since 1983 and at the 2005 general election increased his majority to 18,457.